Over the last several years, both men and women have been increasingly drawn to the advantages provided by electric dry shavers. In general, the consuming public has found that the use of razors or other systems is extremely inconvenient for removing or shaving short hair or stubble, as commonly found in mens' beards and on womens' legs. In addition, with the ever increasing time constraints and commitments individuals typically encounter, a fast and effective shaving system is most desirable.
The discomfort, as well as the time consumed in using shaving cream, soaps or gels in order to provide a medium for which a razor can be used, requires more time and inconvenience than most individuals are willing or capable of allowing. Furthermore, the cost of maintaining a sufficient supply of these products creates an additional burden. Consequently, electric dry shavers have become increasingly popular, as well as battery-operated electric dry shavers which can withstand exposure to moisture, thereby enabling individuals to simultaneously shower, as well as shave either beards or legs.
As the popularity of electric dry shavers increased, various product designs and alternate constructions proliferated, in an attempt to improve and enhance the comfort and cutting efficiency of such shavers. However, in spite of these product changes, difficulties have continued to exist in providing optimum results with optimum comfort.
One particular configuration has been found to be extremely efficacious in achieving high quality shaving results, as well as being extremely comfortable to use. This configuration comprises the various models of electric dry shavers incorporating a movable cutting blade which cooperates with a thin, flexible mesh screen or apertured foil.
In operation, the cutting blades are rapidly and continuously reciprocatingly moved against one side of the mesh screen or apertured foil, causing the cutting blades to repeatedly cross the plurality of apertures and provide a virtually continuous cutting action at each aperture. Then, by sliding or guiding the other side of the mesh screen or apertured foil over the skin surface to be shaven, the individual hair shafts enter the holes formed in the screen or foil and are cut by the movement of the cutting blades.
Although this dry shaving cutting system has proven to be extremely effective, as compared to other dry shaving products, one area of difficulty does exist which prior art systems have been unable to satisfactorily resolve. This area is the inability of prior art electric dry shavers incorporating apertured foils to effectively cut longer hair or whisker shanks or fibers. Longer hair shanks or fibers tend to be less rigid and, consequently, do not enter the apertures of the foil member as the dry shaver is moved over the skin surface. Instead of entering the apertures, the fibers tend to bend and be flexed away from the foil, thereby remaining uncut, leaving an unsatisfactory result.
In an attempt to resolve this continuing problem, some prior art apertured foil constructions enlarge the diameter of the apertures or employ elongated slots in order to allow the longer hair fibers to enter the apertures and be cut by the oscillating or reciprocating blades. However, it has been found that such constructions have been unable to fully satisfy the consumer's desire for a close and comfortable shave, since large diameters or elongated slots formed in apertured foils typically cause skin irritation.
It has been found that these prior art constructions, which incorporate larger diameter apertures and/or elongated slots, allow the skin surface to enter the aperture, along with the hair fibers. As a result, the blade movement cutting the hair fiber also rubs across the skin surface, resulting in cuts, abrasions, and/or skin irritations.
Another measure commonly employed in dry shavers is the incorporation of a separate trimmer which allows longer hair fibers to be cut by the trimmer. Although conventional trimmers have been found to be effective in cutting some hair fibers, these trimmers are incapable of satisfactorily cutting longer hair fibers on the face and neck of an individual in a manner which provides dependable, controlled cutting of such fibers.
Consequently, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved apertured foil construction for electric dry shavers whereby longer hair fibers are consistently and dependably cut as part of the normal shaving operation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved apertured foil construction for electric dry shavers having the characteristic features described above which is capable of providing substantially improved comfort and shaving efficiency, while also providing enhanced and improved results.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved apertured foil construction for electric dry shavers having the characteristic features described above which virtually eliminates any area wherein longer hair fibers are not cut due to the contours of the surface being shaved or the inability of the hair fibers to enter the apertured foil of the shaver.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved apertured foil construction for electric dry shavers having the characteristic features described above which virtually eliminates unwanted, unshaven areas.
Other and more specific objects will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.